A heads up that Vicki will talk about Michael's case on Joyce Kaufman's radio show (850 WFTL) in South Florida at 2:30 Tomorrow. Attached is a computer link to the show. Please pass this around! Call in if you feel the urge.

This one stinks out loud. I am referring to the military trial of Army Ranger 1Lt. Michael Behanna of Oklahoma for the charge of murder of an Al Qaeda operative in Iraq in which military prosecutors withheld exculpatory evidence provided by the military prosecution's own expert witness from the defense team until after the trial wrapped up. As a likely result, Behanna, 25, was sentenced in March of this year to 25 years in prison for unpremeditated murder.

Bright spot: tireless parents (mother on team that convicted Timothy McVeigh, father former state investigator) and the entire Oklahoma Congressional Delegation, now pressing the clemency board for fair treatment. Details (petition, defense fund info, and news, including a recent, compelling LA Times two-part story on the case) at Defend Michael.

An aside: One of the many reasons I came to harbor animosity toward George W. Bush was for the way he, the commander-in-chief, let so many of the soldiers he sent into war twist in the vortex of political correctness and political appeasement. I can think of so many men President Bush turned his back on when they needed his support and, of course, pardons, and I know my list is incomplete: Col. Allen West, Lt. Ilario Pantano, the Haditha Marines, Sgt. Evan Vela, Larry Hutchins, Marine X, the Fallujah Marines, Capt. Roger Hill ... The Navy SEALS immortalized in Marcus Luttrell's book Lone Survivor belong on this list as well. Who can forget that one of the reasons the 4-man SEAL team, compromised deep in Taliban territory, didn't kill the Afghan man and boy who had discovered their hiding place, was fear of military prosecution at home?

End result? 19 Americans miliitary men dead in an epic wartime disaster. But there was no "crime" committed that day to prosecute, either -- and that's what counts in the shameful world of military justice. The SEALs feared the Taliban fighters who would ultimately overwhelm them shortly after they released the man and boy less than they feared a JAG team that would have thrown the book at them if they had lived through the mission. Looking at Michael Behenna's outrageous treatment, among the others, it's easy to see why.

This week at a hearing, Congresswoman Fallin questioned the Army's top lawyer on the floor of the House of Representatives concerning Michael's case (see video link below). Fallin has been an advocate of Michael all along and vigorously pursued the miscarriage of justice that occurred, but publicly questioning the Army about the fairness of the trial was a huge step.

We have been swarmed with letters and emails and petition comments as a result of Representative Fallin's inquiry. We are told that other Oklahoma Congressional Delegation members and others in the Congress and Senate are also working behind the scenes, but this is the Nationwide publicity that Michael's case deserves.

We ask that you pass on this email to others who would need to read and hear it. Have them visit Michael's web site DEFENDMICHAEL.COM to find more information. The National media has made inquiries and through your help this will bear fruit and we will force this issue to the top where the Army must act to correct this situation.

Greetings,We are finally at the stage that we have been building towards. The General has Michael's clemency packet and will be making his decision on Michael's future. We have no idea what he is thinking, but we do know all the time, effort, support, and prayers that have gone into getting him the inspiration and information he needs to make this decision. Please continue your prayers for General Stephen Townsend, so that he will have the wisdom, and guidance to understand how this case should proceed.

You are free to share, to copy, distribute and transmit the work to remix, to adapt the work under the following conditions: Attribution. You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page. Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. Nothing in this license impairs or restricts the author's moral rights.
''